 Happy Ilouha Friday and welcome to Perspectives on Global Justice Think Tech Hawaii. This is your host Beatrice Cantelmo. On today's episode we will be talking about two very challenging topics. The refugee crisis in Europe are under prevalence of N types of human trafficking that refugees are vulnerable to and the reasons behind it. We will also examine strategies that could be implemented that would help decrease human trafficking cases involving refugees not just in Europe but all over the globe. We're very fortunate to have a guest Eva Hernandez-Zeno, a graduate student of Hawaii Pacific University whose study focus is on organizational development and change and that she will guide us in this dialogue. Well, thank you so much for being our guest today. Yeah, thank you for having me on the podcast. I love this kind of collaboration work. Yeah, no, absolutely, you know, and so is about perspectives and I think you have some really good things to share with our viewers and so before we get started, you know, in the, you know, hitting the road running, I would like to give you an opportunity to let our viewers know where do you come from and, you know, what are you studying and, you know, where things at in your graduate studies? Yeah, thank you. Yeah, so I am from Mexico City and my dream has been to do work that helps people in any kind of capacity of even like non-profit organization work or, you know, with IGOs. So, I mean, yeah, it's been my whole time, my career has been devoted to any work in that area. Yeah, but so I was, I did my undergraduate studies in international relations and then now I'm doing organizational development and change. Right, so let's talk a little bit. What is organizational development and change? What do they focus on and it's quite a unique focus? Yeah, yeah, so we do what we do is consultancy and but my focus is going to be to helping non-profit organizations take on challenges. I mean, working for a non-profit org is can be challenging. Right. So what kind of challenges do you foresee tackling and supporting NGOs with? Yeah, probably funding. Funding would be, you know, one of the biggest challenges and also really just making sure that the mission and vision really do solve some of the gaps that are around, you know, the areas that states need, that cities need. So, yeah, when I moved to Hawaii, I immediately noticed a thing of, you know, a gap in homelessness and therefore I immediately wanted to jump in and help in any way I could. Right. So it just really aligned with what I wanted to do, yeah. Well, that's perfect. What brought you to Hawaii? My partner, yeah. Right. Yeah. Well, that's the best way to be in Aloha is with love, right? Yeah. That is great. Well, we're very fortunate to have you here as part of our O'Hana. And so, well, today we're going to be talking about your studies. So tell our viewers a little bit of the background of, you know, how did you choose to work on refugees and human trafficking? And what are your findings, you know, what are you learning along the way? Yeah, so I seek to, you know, and apply for the United Nations, Model United Nations graduate program for HBU, which is the graduate school I go to. And they granted me the, you know, the opportunity. And the entire, it just shot off after that, the opportunities. And really learning more about refugees and IDPs. What does IDP mean? So it's internal, displacable, internal, displacable people. Right. So yeah, people, you know, who are within the country, but for some civil, or if any civil problem, they have no home or anywhere to go to. Right. So the refugees that you are focusing on come from which regions mostly? So we're focusing, this year we're focusing on Syria. Yeah, so therefore we're focusing on anybody in Syria who is displaced or who is a refugee. And likely they're probably a bigger target to human trafficking. Right. So let's talk about the connection between being a refugee, which you're already in a very vulnerable state, you know, being displaced. You know, you're a countryless, you know, basically. And what is it that makes refugees more vulnerable to human trafficking? And then what kinds of human trafficking are you able to document that these individuals are, you know, experiencing? Yeah. So I think for the first question, refugees are very vulnerable. They have, I mean, if you think about how much time it takes for somebody to actually get refugee status, it takes six months at the earliest amount of time. And that's in Europe, in the U.S., Mexican border. We have to add maybe a couple of years there. Yeah, absolutely. So to answer that question, yeah, that's why refugees are so vulnerable into human trafficking. So when you see them being trafficked, is it happening in the encampments where they're waiting? Are they taking a different route or being lured or offered something and then they trust and leave and they get trafficked? Then what's going on? What is the trend? So from the research that I have done is really about paramilitary groups who are intervening in the conflict as well. But on that behalf, some people are really, really poor and living in Syria. And so that's the only thing they can do. Right. And when you talk about human trafficking, because they are like a plethora of ways that a person can be trafficked, it can't be sexual trafficking, it can be forced labor, it can be organ harvesting, legally. What are you all finding then? What is the age if there's any track of age of people who are being trafficked on gender? So what we have found so far with my committee of the General Assembly to the United Nations that we're doing, it really is more focused on not on age, but really women and children. So they are being organ trafficked. They will actually, they will actually sell their organs because they have no economic sustainability. So wait a minute, let me see if I understand this correctly. So women and children are being trafficked because they're mostly vulnerable. But for organ harvest trafficking, so like, what, like livers, kidneys, oh. So the most trafficked organs are the heart, liver and kidneys. So wait, if you can't donate your heart because then you're dead. So these people are actually being murdered. And these organs are going well. Is there any study that tracks where they're going? They, so what, it's work just done with paramilitary groups. And also, I mean, you can think about Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. So they're just finding ways to solve, solve economic, economic issues, but based on really terrible human rights violations. Oh, absolutely. I mean, I can't imagine harvesting one's organ, you know, in those conditions being a way to curb poverty, you know. So like, what are the ways that the investigative work is happening? Like people who survived coming back to report, how do they go to the hospital, really sick from after the butchering that they have to undergo and that's how authorities find out. Well, to be honest, the only work is done from organizations who are covering this kind of work. So Amnesty, you know, some of my sources are from Amnesty, or UN news sources and CIA. So that's who that's the only reports we get because it's such a, it's such a recent kind of, it's a recent problem. It really is happening right now. So therefore, you really have to have, you know, quick back kind of, you get quick kind of cover of it. So therefore, some type of documents take forever to be issued and published. Right. And so what is the global response like from the UN, for example, Amnesty, with regards to these new investigative findings? And are there any urgent action that's about to going to be issued or ways to educate refugees about what they are vulnerable of and ways that they can maybe try to protect themselves? Is there any plan in place or talks about it? Yeah. So I think this is a really cool opportunity with HPU that, you know, we get to go in and throw some resolutions or really research and they will actually look at our position papers and see what we think about it and see all the work that we've done and consider it. But other than really would be the resolutions and... Right. So let's talk about resolutions like for our viewers who are not familiarized with UN, working resolutions, how it works. So you have an investigative process and an issue that has been identified. Once you did both parts, then there is recommendations. And then what happens with those recommendations? How do these recommendations and issues become a resolution at the UN? So then you go to, you know, to the General Assembly and then you ratify it. So it would be a ratified resolution or something that the more countries that are able to collaborate, which I think is really the purpose of the United Nations. And I really have to thank HPU because they have taught me that, you know, that it really is a collaborative space. Followed many. Yes. We're going to take a minute break and be right back. Cool. Awesome. Aloha. This is Winston Welch. I am your host of Out and About where every other week, Mondays at 3, we explore a variety of topics in our city, state, nation and world and events, organizations, the people that fuel them. It's a really interesting show. We welcome you to tune in and we welcome your suggestions for shows. You got a lot of them out there and we have an awesome studio here where we can get your ideas out as well. So I look forward to you tuning in every other week where we've got some great guests and great topics. You're going to learn a lot. You're going to come away inspired like I do. So I'll see you every other week here at 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon. Aloha. Aloha. I'm Wendy Lo and I'm coming to you every other Tuesday at 2 o'clock live from Think Tech Hawaii. And on our show, we talk about taking your health back. And what does that mean? It means mind, body and soul. Anything you can do that makes your body healthier and happier is what we're going to be talking about. Whether it's spiritual health, mental health, fascia health, beautiful smile health, whatever it means. Let's take healthy back. Aloha. Welcome back to Perspectives on Global Justice, Think Tech Hawaii. This is your host, Beatriz Contambo. And we are here with Eva Hernandez-Zenon. And so Eva, so we were talking about you turning in the research that it's being done. Are you working alone in this investigative work? Or do you have a partnership with older students? Yeah, we have other students working on it. And my closest committee, so we're in committees. Kisha, she's from China. And she's brilliant and an awesome co-worker to do this research with. So yeah, but there are a bunch of other committees. And so you're all going to be working together. And then the collaborative combined efforts of all of your studies will then comprise the writing of the findings of your studies and then goes to the UN. And then what? Then what happens? What would the UN do with your collective work? So what we do then after the papers are all turned in. So every committee has to write a paper. And then we all turn it back into our professor, Andrea Malgi. And then she sends them out. So we have several edits to make sure that it is aligned with what we're doing. And to make sure that we did the research as we could. But yeah, so then after that, once it's there, they look at the contact. And they could send it back if something, you know, if something was wrong or if they need further clarification. So there is a checks and balance. And you have a process to follow through. One of the things I really appreciate about NGOs like the UN and especially Amnesty International is how thorough they are with their investigative work piece. It takes a while to get done and complete it. But by the time it is published, it is based on factual evidence. And they talk to so many different sources to be able to examine different facets of, you know, a particular issue. So in your ability, like as a researcher now and as a graduate student, are you able? Are you going to be able to travel, to see the site or connect with other researchers who are in different sizes? Because you guys are looking at this in Syria, but are there other countries involved? Yeah, there are a bunch of, there are so many countries involved in it. And it's cool just when I was looking through the list of countries involved. There are even graduate schools from Mexico, you know, from where I'm from, that will be involved. So I will be able to connect back. Right. And are they focused on refugee issues and concerns in Mexico border and in Central America? Are they going to be working with different regions? So yeah, I didn't specify. So every committee has one country or, well, every, so as a, as HPU, we have Syria. So every other college has a different country to focus on. But then they also have committees within and each committee focuses on different topics. So my committee is General Assembly 3 and then we focus on disability of elderly and then human trafficking and humanitarian aid. Right. So, so we did talk a little bit about human trafficking from a standpoint of, you know, the Oregon harvesting. Are there any older types of human trafficking are you all looking at? So like sex trafficking or post labor or the above? I think all of them are included in it. I mean, I don't think I, you know, it's on the research. So it's in there. But also it's when you do research, you have to make sure you put, you know, put notes or, or what, what kind of where the source comes, where the source comes from. Yeah. So it's really hard, sadly, to be able to know the death toll of how many people are actually being human trafficked and how many people are, you know, just the organs are being. Yeah. So you mentioned that within the scope of your study, you're also looking at disability rights and elderly issues. Yeah. So, I mean, I think so for Syria, you know, which is what we're focusing on the nation we're focusing on. Being in Syria, I can't even imagine it, first of all, but also being an elderly and not being able to maybe evacuate where you live and anything else. It would, it would definitely be detrimental to to your living circumstances. Right. And are there, because I'm so ignorant about the population of Syria, are there a large percentage of people who would be classified in that senior bracket? Or are you guys still trying to sort that out? I'm not, I'm really not sure. So I would, I would be lying if I, if I, you know, said something. Yeah, you're learning. Yeah. And that's okay. Yeah. Okay. But I imagine that regardless of percentage that there are seniors that will have extra challenges and regardless of whether the place is under conflict or not. But yeah, that really sucks for them because not being able to move as quickly or having mobility issues, for example. And I think that could be applied to pretty much anywhere being disabled and not especially as an elderly citizen anywhere and not being able to move around, you know, and just evacuate for anything. I often think, like, of the largest, you know, famine in the world right now being in Syria, and the largest humanitarian crisis, and we always have images of children, which, you know, it breaks, I think, everyone's hearts. And it's right there. But I really think about the seniors. And, you know, if someone they're kind of like forgotten or put on, you know, like, oh, you already lived your life, you know, whatever resources we have, we may just look at the younger ones, you know, try to help them as opposed to someone who's, you know, older. Yeah. It'll be interesting to see what you find out in your studies. Yeah. And I'm really excited to be doing it. Yeah. And then with regards to disability, individuals with like, you know, functional abilities, what are the common functional abilities that you are looking at? Physical, cognitive and emotional. In regard of. Of the disability. No, I think, I think in regards with that, you know, that scope of looking at disabilities. I don't know if you're looking at just the elderly or if you're looking at all ages. Yeah, we're, we're just so my topic, yeah, it's more focused on elderly with disabilities, but I think it could be definitely top down and just making sure that children are also disabled. Anybody. Right. So I know that part of your gift is to be able to nurture those seeds of investigative work. Craft the findings, prepare the report and then you release it to the world of the UN. And they are the ones who will decide on any kind of resolution that they would pass. But if you had a magic wand on, you could say, I wish I could influence these kinds of resolutions. Just from the little bit that you already studied on and found, what would these resolutions look like? And if anything is possible in the world of anything is possible. I love that question. That's awesome. I would say anything with children, honestly, if a child can grow up and and have any opportunity that they could have, I would be happy with that. There is nothing else that would make me happier than that. That's very powerful too. And so like if you were to think a magic wand for women and children who are more successful to being trafficked, human trafficked, what kind of resolution would you wish to see it implemented between countries? Because I know that this is an effort that has to be embraced by many countries, right? No, for sure. Yeah. I think women and children should be treated equally and really, really powerfully thinked upon. But a resolution would be to do anything you can to help that. That group not being so vulnerable, right? Yeah. So safeguards, right? Yeah. Ways that would... The group. Programs, you know, that would prevent that they would, you know, not so much intervention work which is necessary, but the prevention piece of it, which is so crucial education and security and safety, right? You know, it's a big thing. Community, security, resiliency, anything that can help women and children be safe and grow up in this, you know, in our communities. Yeah. And experience the good and the beautiful parts of, you know, being a human being in planet Earth, right? In this path we call, you know, life journey. I can't believe that 30 minutes passed so quickly. I know. But I hope you'll come back many times and that your peers will agree to also come so we can get a little bit more of a blurb also of what they are doing. Thank you so much for your, you know, commitment to focus your studies in what you do. Thank you for being here. Yeah, absolutely. And this concludes our episode of Perspectives on Global Justice for today. Thank you so much for watching us and until next time, we hope.